Broncos Add RB Lance Ball, Re-Sign DL Carlton Powell to Practice Squad

For the second time since the season has started, the Denver Broncos made changes to their roster.  This time, they subtracted and added two players to their practice squad.

Joining the Broncos are running back Lance Ball and defensive lineman Carlton Powell.  Running back Darius Walker was waived from the team and defensive lineman Everette Pedescleaux was placed in injured reserve.

Ball is in his second year in the NFL out of Maryland, and he has spent time with Indianapolis, St. Louis, and Tennessee already. 

In his only NFL action thus far, he helped the Colts’ offense in a 2008 regular season game when he carried the ball 13 times for 85 yards, as well as catching a pass for five yards.

Powell is in his second stint with the Broncos after having spent time on the Cleveland Browns‘ practice squad.  The Broncos selected Powell in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft out of Virginia Tech, where he was a teammate of current Broncos wide receiver Eddie Royal.

Ball will wear No. 35 for the Broncos, and Powell will be wearing his third number with Denver in No. 96.

Read more Denver Broncos news on BleacherReport.com

Ravens 30, Broncos 7: Denver Handed First Loss of 2009

The Denver Broncos have come crashing down to earth, and rightfully so.

Denver went to M&T Bank Stadium early Sunday afternoon and had their lunch served courtesy of the Baltimore Ravens.

Denver lost its first contest since week three of the preseason in an ugly 30-7 rout by Ray Rice, Joe Flacco, and Baltimore.

Both teams were coming off bye weeks, but it was clear which team was more prepared for this game. Baltimore never trailed in their first victory in four games, and they made the Broncos look silly with their resurgent defense.

Denver had multiple matchups they could have exploited this afternoon, but the Ravens’ pass rush was simply unstoppable. They confused Denver’s usually reliable offensive line, and Kyle Orton (who usually has time enough to knit a sweater) was chased around all day long.

The Ravens were simply better in every facet of the game on Sunday, both offense and defense.

Despite allowing 23 points, the Denver defense actually held their own for the most part. The one area they really struggled was in third-down conversions, where the Ravens were able to convert over half their attempts. 

The Broncos crossed into enemy territory only three times, and entered the red zone only once. 

Their best drive of the game consisted of the biggest play being a 40-plus yard pass interference call on Domonique Foxworth. Denver did capitalize on their only red-zone attempt, which is encouraging, but they had a lot of help from Baltimore in getting there.

This was a very discouraging game for the Broncos and their fans, but all of the pessimism is unwarranted. 

The Broncos are a team that has exceeded all expectations this season, and a 6-1 record is of elite caliber. Denver is behind only Indianapolis in the standings, and they lead San Diego by two games in the AFC West, with a head-to-head victory and a home game left against them.

This loss should be considered a reality-check for the Broncos, who undoubtedly will be more prepared for their Monday night matchup with Pittsburgh next week.

One thing that needs to be fixed is the special teams, believe it or not. Denver has allowed a return touchdown in two straight games, and Eddie Royal could get absolutely no room on his returns today. Simply no blocking was happening.

The Broncos looked lackadaisical and downright undisciplined. One of the reasons Denver has been so good this season is because they have been able to control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, and Baltimore simply played Denver’s game today.

Denver got a taste of its own medicine, but this fan thinks a return to the winner’s circle is coming sooner rather than later.

Read more Denver Broncos news on BleacherReport.com

Broncos-Ravens Preview: Keys to Victory for Denver in Week Eight

The Denver Broncos are off to one of the most magical starts in recent NFL history.  After an offseason of verbal beatings, Josh McDaniels has led his resurgent Denver team to a 6-0 start, and following their bye week, they face one of their toughest tests yet.

For their Week Eight matchup, the Broncos will travel east to take on the Baltimore Ravens, one of the NFL’s feel good stories from the 2008 season. 

After a quick 3-0 start, many considered the Ravens to be one of the best teams, if not the best team in the entire NFL. Since then, they have dropped three straight games and find themselves two back of the Steelers and Bengals in the AFC North.

Denver and its number one defense travel to Baltimore to take on one of the league’s most explosive offensive units, led by Joe Flacco and Ray Rice.

If Denver is going to improve to a perfect 7-0 this season, they are going to have to do so against a balanced Baltimore attack. Here are my keys to victory for Denver in Week Eight.

 

1. Imprint Joe Flacco’s No. 5 on the turf

By this, I obviously mean that Denver and its top pass rush need to keep the pressure on Joe Flacco, and often.

Elvis Dumervil leads the NFL with ten sacks through six games, and is on pace to absolutely shatter Michael Strahan’s single season record of 22.5 quarterback take-downs. 

The Broncos do a great job of mixing things up with their blitz packages with disguises and eight or nine man fronts. They are able to blitz much more often than not because of their superb talent in the defensive backfield.

The Ravens have been able to throw the ball all over the field this season due to a partial lack of talent on behalf of their opponents, because Baltimore does not have the most imposing group of receivers.

Baltimore will try to counter Denver’s pass rush with a barrage of screen passes, which were extremely effective in the second half of their bout with Minnesota two weeks ago.

 

2. Denver’s Passing Attack

The Ravens’ clear weakness lies with their defensive backs, who combined with a relatively quiet pass rush have given the Ravens the NFL’s 24th ranked pass defense.

This is an area Denver clearly needs to take advantage.

The Broncos are ranked 13th in the NFL in passing offense, but that number has risen every week so far this season. Kyle Orton’s only interception this year came on a hail mary pass at the end of the first half against the New England Patriots, so the Broncos play an efficient pass offense.

They may need to be a bit more aggressive against the Ravens to exploit this weakness, and there is no reason Orton shouldn’t be able to pick and choose where he wants to throw it.

Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal clearly overmatch Baltimore cornerbacks Domonique Foxworth and Fabian Washington, who are speedy but not very physical.

The key for Baltimore lies with Ed Reed, who is bound to have his hands full on Sunday.  The Broncos boast a bevy of talent offensively, and a scouting report given to me by a Vikings analyst indicated that the Ravens were susceptible to the pass over the middle.

Denver needs to exploit this weakness with their physical receivers and with screen passes. Tony Scheffler saw a career high in receiving yards in Denver’s last game and he could be a huge factor on Sunday as well.

One of the most underrated aspects to Denver’s aerial attack is its offensive line, which is absolutely dominant. This group is arguably the best in the NFL, and they have been a huge reason for the Broncos’ offensive success thus far.

3. Create Turnovers

The Broncos started the season with a ton of turnovers, but the last couple of games they have been relatively quiet in that category. Baltimore is plus two in the turnover margin, so they do not often hurt themselves in that venue.

Denver is going to have to instigate the situation, and it starts with my first key to victory which is the pass rush. Joe Flacco is a good quarterback, but his strong arm can get him into trouble at times, and the Broncos need to take advantage.

 

4.  Get out to an early lead

This one is pretty simple, actually.

Denver is the best defensive team in the second half of football games this season, allowing only 10 points through 12 second half quarters.

If the Broncos can get out to an early lead, statistics would indicate that they can hold on to it. The Broncos have had to come back in over half of their games this season, and while the comeback win is still a win, Denver is ninth in the NFL in total offense, and is more than capable of putting up points.

The Broncos have scored 17, 20, and 34 points in their last three games, so their offense is obviously improving.

Getting out to an early lead helps a lot in terms of defense as well. Obviously, if the Broncos get out to a hot start, they will be able to pin their ears back on defense and get after the quarterback.

 

Final Thoughts

The fans in my earlier article picked the Broncos to win by a final count of 231 votes to 27 in favor of Denver. 

Obviously, the Broncos are a team that is gaining respect across the league, but many still consider them to be an underdog in this game. It seems like if a team like New England had similar numbers to Denver, they would be double-digit favorites, but I digress.

This should be a great game, one filled with great coaching and good defense. When it comes down to it though, it seems that this game will be decided on the offensive side of the ball. Which defense will give in first?

Can the Broncos improve to 7-0 on the season and continue their magical run?

Read more Denver Broncos news on BleacherReport.com

NFL Power Rankings Week Eight: Setting the Records Straight

Welcome to my third edition of NFL “Power Rankings”, which are based on what I believe is the most fair system offered out there for any rankings. Most people believe Power Rankings should be based on opinion or hypothetical situations of which team is better than which, but I firmly believe that wins and losses are the only thing that should matter when it comes to this type of list, so here are some rules to consider as you read along my rankings. 1. Wins and losses; win percentage/ Opponents beaten win percentage This is the biggest factor. A team who wins more often than not should logically be placed higher on this kind of a list. For instance, if a team is 6-0, they are automatically given superiority to a team that is 5-0. They have played more games, thus, they have been tested more, and it is fair. Similarly, if a team is 0-6, they are automatically placed higher than a team that is 0-7. The 0-7 team has had more chance to win, and they have failed. 2. Head to head victory. If two teams have the same record and have played each other, the winning team is ranked higher than the losing team. This is probably the most logical of all the factors. 3. Opinion As is rarely the case, if all other factors are a complete tie, then I implement my opinion. I hope you enjoy!

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Early Thoughts on The Broncos-Ravens Week Eight Matchup

For Denver Broncos fans and Baltimore Ravens fans alike, the bye week is finally over and it is time to get back to work.

Sunday’s matchup pits the Broncos (6-0, first place AFC West) against the Ravens (3-3, third place AFC North) in what figures to be a pivotal matchup for both teams.

Denver has a flawless record following their bye week and only one injury to report. This has some fearing the off-time came a bit too early this season, though it was nothing they could control.

The Ravens are a very intriguing matchup for the Broncos, especially on the road.

After starting the season 3-0, the Ravens appeared to be one of the NFL‘s top teams following an impressive 2008 campaign which saw them win 11 games.  It appeared as though they were on track to improve on last year’s total following victories over Kansas City, San Diego and Cleveland.

Then it went downhill.

The Ravens lost three straight games by a combined 11 points, including a two-point loss against Minnesota in Week Six on a missed field goal by kicker Steven Hauschka as time expired.

Three losses by 11 points would lead one to believe that the Ravens are much better than their record would indicate, and I think they are.

For the first time this decade, Baltimore boasts a better offense than they do defense, led by their passing game and quarterback Joe Flacco.

Flacco has had an outstanding season so far, but the MVP of Baltimore’s offense has to be undersized running back Ray Rice, who leads the team in both rushing and receiving. 

Rice has rushed for 441 yards and three touchdowns on a six-yard per carry average. He also has 33 receptions for 325 yards and a touchdown. 

The Ravens are in the top 10 of every major offensive category and boast the league’s ninth-ranked run defense.  This is a team that can get out to a large early lead and hold on to it.

How will the Broncos counter?

The biggest thing for Denver will be running the ball.  The Broncos have the league’s seventh-best rush offense, but they did not look great running the ball against San Diego for some odd reason. 

If the Broncos are unable to run the ball, Baltimore will be in the game until the very end, if they haven’t already run away with it.  Inversely, if the Broncos can run the ball effectively, they will most certainly control this game from the outset.

Denver’s defense has been absolutely suffocating this season, ranking in the top 10 of every major category.

Denver’s defense is aggressive. The Ravens like to run a lot of screen plays.  If the Broncos blitz early and often, the Ravens will take advantage by dumping the ball to Ray Rice or Willis McGahee.

Mike Nolan will have his unit well prepared, and the Broncos always seem to make proper adjustments during the game anyway.

If Denver can limit the big play on screen passes, it will be hard for the Ravens to get anything going on offense.  It doesn’t appear as though they will match up well with Denver’s outstanding defensive backs, either.

On the other side of the ball, the Broncos have some very favorable matchups.  Brandon Marshall, Eddie Royal, Brandon Stokley, Jabar Gaffney and Tony Scheffler could have a field day against a Ravens defense that ranks 24th against the pass.

Kyle Orton has played exceptional football so far this season, virtually mistake-free.  If he can keep the ball away from Ed Reed’s grasp, the Broncos will have to do a lot to beat themselves offensively.

The Ravens have home-field advantage in this game, but the Broncos are hungry for their seventh consecutive victory.  If Baltimore is going to keep pace in the AFC North, they need to win this game and move to 4-3.

It should be an exciting contest in Baltimore on Sunday.

Read more Denver Broncos news on BleacherReport.com

Denver Broncos Waive Brett Kern, Sign Punter Mitch Berger

It wasn’t the flashiest move, but the Broncos have finally fiddled with their roster, waiving second year punter Brett Kern and signing veteran Mitch Berger.

Kern has been on the hot seat for a while with the Broncos, and there were rumors he would not beat out Britton Colquitt for the punter job earlier this off-season.  Head coach Josh McDaniels and the Broncos have seen enough from Kern, and they decided to go with the veteran Berger who will wear number 17 with the Broncos.

Berger was most recently seen in a Pittsburgh Steelers uniform, where he filled in very nicely last season to help the team to a Super Bowl victory over the Arizona Cardinals.  He has also played with Arizona, New Orleans, St. Louis, Minnesota, Chicago, and Philadelphia.

Berger has connections to this state, graduating from Colorado (Boulder) in 1994.  He is a two-time Pro Bowl performer and will serve the Broncos as the punter and holder on field goals.

Read more Denver Broncos news on BleacherReport.com

The Denver Broncos at the Bye Week: How We Got to 6-0

Although a bye week after six games is not ideal, the Denver Broncos are sitting pretty at 6-0, and 3.5 games ahead of San Diego in the AFC West.

The Broncos have been quite a surprise story to many this year, and as fans head into two weeks with no Denver Bronco football, here is a recap of the incredible ride the first six games have been.

 

Week One–@ Cincinnati  12-7 W

What many expected to be an offensive struggle turned out to be a defensive battle between the Broncos and Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium to kick off the season.

Denver led 6-0 most of the game, and they had a really good chance to put the game on ice late in the fourth quarter with a Matt Prater field goal, but Kyle Orton took a sack, foolishly, putting the Broncos out of field goal range.

The sack cost the Broncos in a big way, as the Bengals drove down the field with their two minute offense, and took a 7-6 lead with 38 second remaining.

Then the magic happened.

After Orton missed wide receiver Brandon Marshall on a first down pass, he threw to him again on second down and Cincinnati cornerback Leon Hall leaped in the air to swat the ball away—or so he thought.

Hall’s tipped pass was caught by Brandon Stokley who sprinted to the end zone on a play that has been dubbed “The Immaculate Deflection” to win the game for the Broncos.

The win against the Bengals is the most questioned for the Broncos, but Denver didn’t cheat or win in an unfair way, they just won.  Plain and simple, even if it was ugly.

1-0

 

Week Two–vs. Cleveland  W  27-6

This game was really over before it started.  Denver’s defense was led by a ferocious pass rush, one that saw outside linebacker Elvis Dumervil record four sacks on quarterback Brady Quinn.

Correll Buckhalter, Peyton Hillis, and Tony Scheffler each had a touchdown in Denver’s dominant effort, and the Broncos completed the two game sweep of the state of Ohio.

2-0

 

Week Three–@ Oakland  W  23-3

At this point, people still thought the Broncos were just a beneficiary of poor competition, and the smack talk was in full form for the first Raider week of the season.

Correll Buckhalter, Knowshon Moreno, and the Broncos’ running game absolutely thrashed the Raiders, running for a combined 198 yards.  Denver controlled the line of scrimmage all game long, and the Broncos’ defense held Oakland to only nine first downs.

The Bronco defense was starting to show its true dominant form, and wide receiver Brandon Marshall caught his first touchdown pass of the season.

Still, the haters were in full form, and the win was not so much credited to the Broncos as it was to the deficiencies of the Oakland Raiders, who did not really stand a chance in this game.

3-0

 

Week Four–vs. Dallas  W  17-10

Many figured that Dallas was Denver’s first real test of the season and that the Broncos would be overmatched against a big, athletic Cowboys front line.

After one quarter of play, they appeared to be right.

Dallas led 10-0, and the Broncos were back on their heels as Tony Romo and the Cowboys had the ball back once again and were looking to increase their lead to 17.

On two plays, safety Renaldo Hill sacked and forced a fumble of Romo which was recovered by Denver, and Knowshon Moreno caught one of the more improbable touchdown passes you will see to put the Broncos back in the game with a score of 10-7.

Denver tied the game later on at 10 points apiece, but the drama was not even getting started.

After the two-minute warning, Kyle Orton threw a deep ball to Brandon Marshall who simply went over Terrance Newman to catch the ball, and the whirling dervish himself dashed to the end zone 51 yards to put the Broncos ahead by a touchdown.

On the ensuing Dallas drive, Tony Romo escaped pressure and dumped a pass to Sam Hurd, who took the ball deep into Denver territory.

The Cowboys ended up getting the ball on the Denver two yard line, and Tony Romo tried throwing the ball into one-on-one coverage between Hurd and Denver cornerback Champ Bailey.  Needless to say, the Cowboys’ attempts at the end zone failed, and Denver won a nail-biter at home.

4-0

 

Week Five–vs. New England  W  20-17 (OT)

Ah, the battle of the “hoodies.”

Josh McDaniels and the Broncos played host to his mentor and friend Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots in Denver’s first throwback game of the season.

For the second consecutive week, the Broncos found themselves in a 10-0 rut, and at halftime, the Patriots appeared to be in control with a 17-7 lead.

Brandon Marshall and the Broncos’ defense would not be denied, however, and Denver stormed back to tie the game at 17-all behind a pair of Marshall touchdown catches and a Matt Prater field goal.

The Patriots had the ball with just over two minutes left, and it appeared as though Tom Brady would orchestrate one of his ever so famous fourth quarter comeback drives to win the game, and the Patriots actually made it to about midfield before Brady was sacked for the first time that game by Vonnie Holliday who forced a fumble—which Denver recovered.

The game ended up in overtime, and Kyle Orton did what everyone figured Brady would do, and drove the Broncos down the field on a drive that resulted in a game-winning field goal by Matt Prater.

5-0

 

Week Six–@ San Diego  W  34-23

Even though they were 5-0, the Broncos were still not getting much respect from the big boys in the media, so they still had a lot to prove against the Chargers who were absolutely desperate for a victory.

Eddie Royal lit up Qualcomm Stadium with two first-half return touchdowns, one on a kickoff and one on a punt which paced a high-scoring first half of football, which saw the Chargers lead 20-17 going into the break.

Denver’s defense continued its second half dominance, allowing San Diego’s potent offense only three points.

As for the Broncos’ offense, they were led by the arm of Kyle Orton who threw two touchdown passes, one to tight end Tony Scheffler and one to wide receiver Brandon Stokley.

The Denver defense was absolutely suffocating for Philip Rivers, and Elvis Dumervil once again paved the way for a Broncos pass rush that ranks first in the NFL with 21 sacks on the season.

6-0

 

The first six games of the Broncos’ season have been absolutely magical, and this Denver team is the best fans have had since the John Elway days. 

Fans are brimming with confidence and players are picking up all kinds of accolades and achievements, and this team is finally getting the respect it deserves after an offseason when so many gave up hope.

Read more Denver Broncos news on BleacherReport.com

As We Head To the Bye Week, Some Thoughts On the Broncos Off the Field

The Denver Broncos and their fans have little to complain about heading into their bye week.

Rookie head coach Josh McDaniels has helped lead this team to its first 6-0 start since the glory days of Broncos past, and Denver has opened up a 3.5 game lead over San Diego in the AFC West.

Still, there are some things off the field that could be keeping the Broncos busy through the bye week, namely the potential re-signing of some big name 2010 free agents.

As of now, Denver’s free agent class of 2010 features the likes of Kyle Orton, Brandon Marshall, Tony Scheffler, Elvis Dumervil, Chris Kuper, Ben Hamilton, and Matt Prater. 

Ouch.

Fortunately for Denver, they have the firepower to make deals happen with all of these players as the NFL could experience its first un-capped year, but the question still remains as to whom the Broncos will decide is worthy of being retained.

As could be expected, each one of those players is having an outstanding season so far, and all are expected to receive big pay increases either now or after the season is finished.

The Broncos likely will retain most of those players, and I feel it is critical that they do.

Kyle Orton has proven to be a perfect fit for Josh McDaniels’ offensive system, and his emergence has not only saved the Broncos from having to select a quarterback in the first round of next year’s draft, but it has also vaulted the Broncos into the elite ranks of the NFL.

Elvis Dumervil has been the top pass rusher of the 2006 rookie class where a defensive end (Mario Williams, HOU) was selected first overall. This season, he has 10 sacks which leads the NFL, and he is on pace to break Michael Strahan’s single season record of 22.5 sacks. 

Dumervil has made a seamless transition to outside linebacker in the Broncos’ 3-4 defensive look, and he is a huge key to the Broncos’ continued success defensively.

Tony Scheffler has emerged in recent games as a favorite target of Orton in the passing game, and has been one of the top receiving threats at his position since he entered the league. He is a wide receiver in a tight end’s body, and he gives the Broncos another dimension offensively.

Chris Kuper and Ben Hamilton are two of the more underrated guards in football today.

Hamilton has been part of this organization since 2002, but his departure would be a lot less painful for the Broncos who drafted Iowa guard Seth Olsen in the fourth round in 2009. If Hamilton’s price is not right, the Broncos could let him walk.

Kuper has played at an elite level for two seasons now, and is quite possibly a Pro Bowl performer for the Broncos. He was the only player in the NFL last season to play every snap without allowing a sack at his position, and the Broncos need to find a way to keep him around.

And then there’s Brandon Marshall.

Marshall ranks third in the NFL over the past three seasons in receptions, and is playing some of the best football of his career in 2009. He is an imposing figure at 6’4″ 230 pounds, and has been the favorite target of quarterback Kyle Orton this season for good reason.

After Marshall’s performances against Dallas and New England this season, Broncos owner Pat Bowlen stated that Marshall would be in for a big pay raise in the near future. One can only assume that if this team continues to make Marshall happy by getting him the ball, he will don the Bronco blue for a long time to come.

The big question is, “Who will the Broncos franchise tag, if need be?”

I honestly do not have an answer for that. It would seem that right now, Kyle Orton would get slapped with the tag if the Broncos couldn’t come to terms with him, but that seems unlikely.

The most likely scenario is that either Brandon Marshall or Tony Scheffler get hit with the franchise tag, unless the team is willing to let Scheffler walk with nothing in return. 

The 2010 NFL Draft is very deep at the top end, and the Broncos are in good position to take advantage of it. The Bears, as it stands right now, would give the Broncos a top 20 pick. 

The Broncos saved money for their free agent class by trading away their own first-round pick in exchange for Alphonso Smith this past draft, and management is looking smarter by the day for making that move.

(Note: A Seahawks fan thanked me earlier in the preseason for Sam Bradford because he thought Denver would end up with the No. 1 pick. Lol.)

As it stands now, here is Denver’s slate of draft picks:

1.  Round One (from Chicago)

2.  Round Two

3.  Round Three

4.  Round Four

**  Denver traded its fifth round pick to New England for DL Le Kevin Smith and a seventh round pick.

**  Denver traded G Montrae Holland to Dallas for their 2010 fifth round pick

**  Denver traded fifth round pick (from Dallas) to Detroit for sixth round pick in 2009 (used to select QB Tom Brandstater)

5.  Round Six

6.  Round Seven

**  Denver traded seventh round pick (from New England) to New England for G Russ Hochstein

My guess is, Denver will try to trade down and acquire more picks if they are not blown away by the players available when they pick for 2010. It’s a very deep draft, and Denver should take advantage. 

This article is not meant to divert attention away from the Broncos’ superb start to the 2009 season, just something the fans should be informed of for the future. The Broncos’ future looks very bright with this core of young players, and it is only going to get better.

Read more Denver Broncos news on BleacherReport.com

NFL Power Rankings Week Seven: Setting the Records Straight

By this point, you should all know how I feel about NFL Power Rankings–they are ridiculous. However, last week was a pretty good success, and some good conversation was generated. It was another great week in the NFL this week, so here is my second set of Power Rankings for this NFL season. Here is how I base my rankings: 1. Record/Win Percentage (6-0>5-0, 5-1>4-1, etc.) I truly feel this to be an important factor when “ranking” then NFL teams. Winning is the most critical aspect to this league, as if that isn’t obvious, and teams who win more should be ranked higher. 2. Opponents beaten (win percentage) Teams will be ranked higher based on their beaten opponents’ win percentage and overall record. 3. Head to head If teams have the same record, regardless of opponents’ win percentage or record, the winning team in a head-to-head matchup is favored in this system. 4. Opinion If all of the other factors are equal between teams, then I base it off of my opinion. This has yet to happen. Enjoy!

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NFL Power Rankings Week 7: Setting the Records Straight

By this point, you should all know how I feel about NFL Power Rankings–they are ridiculous. However, last week was a pretty good success, and some good conversation was generated. It was another great week in the NFL this week, so here is my second set of Power Rankings for this NFL season. Here is how I base my rankings: 1. Record/Win Percentage (6-0>5-0, 5-1>4-1, etc.) I truly feel this to be an important factor when “ranking” then NFL teams. Winning is the most critical aspect to this league, as if that isn’t obvious, and teams who win more should be ranked higher. 2. Opponents beaten (win percentage) Teams will be ranked higher based on their beaten opponents’ win percentage and overall record. 3. Head to head If teams have the same record, regardless of opponents’ win percentage or record, the winning team in a head-to-head matchup is favored in this system. 4. Opinion If all of the other factors are equal between teams, then I base it off of my opinion. This has yet to happen. Enjoy!

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